Post Tropical

James Vincent McMorrow

Amoeba Review

01/13/2014

Can anyone out-falsetto Bon Iver? James Vincent McMorrow answers that question on the stunning opener to his new album, Post Tropical, “Cavalier.” McMorrow pushes his voice to its breaking point while remaining smooth and sensual, over a soulful backbeat. It’s a radical re-creation from his 2010 debut Early in the Morning, which earned fans worldwide, as well as derision for its similarity to the aforementioned Bon Iver. On Post Tropical, he’s more subtle, more atmospheric and, when he needs to be, more soaring vocally than ever before—his hushed whisper rises to towering heights on “The Lakes.” His digitized harmonies evoke James Blake on “Red Dust,” singing “sometimes my hands they don’t feel like my own, I need someone to love, I need someone to hold” with genuine emotion, and he picks things up with a sexy groove on “All Points.” Post Tropical is a terrific set that balances emotion with grace, pushing McMorrow past those pesky Bon Iver comparisons and into his own, new territory.